Yearly survey of barnacle settlement near creekbank plots at GCE LTER study sites in October 2023

To characterize spatial variation in barnacle recruitment at the creekbank, and across a gradient in salinity and distance to ocean, we deployed PVC poles to passive sample barnacle settlement. Eight poles were deployed between 4-5m apart adjacent to the creekbank vegetation monitoring plots at each GCE LTER permanent monitoring site each Fall beginning in 2012. These poles were then collected the following Fall and all barnacle that settled on the poles were identified and counted on 50cm-long sections of the 8, 3/4" diameter PVC poles. Four species settled on poles and were counted and recorded: Chthamalus fragilis, Balanus spp., Geukensia demissa, and Oysters (Crassostrea virginica).为刻画溪岸生境以及盐度、距海距离梯度下藤壶补充的空间变异特征，本研究采用聚氯乙烯（PVC）竿开展藤壶附着的被动采样。自2012年起，每年秋季我们都会在每个佐治亚海岸长期生态研究（GCE LTER）永久监测样地内的溪岸植被监测样方附近，以4-5米的间距布设8根竿体。随后于次年秋季回收全部竿体，对8根直径3/4英寸的PVC竿体的50厘米长区段上附着的所有藤壶完成鉴定与计数。本次研究共记录到4种附着于竿体的生物并完成计数：脆壁藤壶（Chthamalus fragilis）、藤壶属（Balanus spp.）、隔贻贝（Geukensia demissa）以及美洲牡蛎（Crassostrea virginica）。